Battery heating circuits and methods using transformers

ABSTRACT

Certain embodiments of the present invention provide a battery heating circuit, comprising a switch unit  10,  a switching control module  100,  a one-way semiconductor component D 10,  a damping component R, and a transformer T, wherein: the switching control module  100  is electrically connected with the switch unit  10;  the battery, the damping component R, the first winding of the transformer T, and the switch unit  10  are connected in series with each other to constitute a battery discharging circuit; the battery, the damping component R, the second winding of the transformer T, and the one-way semiconductor component D 10  are connected in series with each other to constitute a battery charging circuit. The transformer in certain embodiments of the present invention serves as an energy storage component, and has a current limiting function.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 13/189,096, which claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No.201010603414.5, filed Dec. 23, 2010, being incorporated by referenceherein for all purposes.

Additionally, this application is related to International ApplicationPublication No. WO2010/145439A1 and Chinese Application Publication No.CN102055042A, both these two applications being incorporated byreference herein for all purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to electric and electronic field, inparticular related to a battery heating circuit.

Considering cars need to run under complex road conditions andenvironmental conditions or some electronic devices are used under harshenvironmental conditions, the battery, which serves as the power supplyunit for electric-motor cars or electronic devices, need to be adaptiveto these complex conditions. In addition, besides these conditions, theservice life and charge/discharge cycle performance of the battery needto be taken into consideration; especially, when electric-motor cars orelectronic devices are used in low temperature environments, the batteryneeds to have outstanding low-temperature charge/discharge performanceand higher input/output power performance.

Usually, under low temperature conditions, the resistance of the batterywill increase, and so will the polarization; therefore, the capacity ofthe battery will be reduced.

To keep the capacity of the battery and improve the charge/dischargeperformance of the battery under low temperature conditions, someembodiments of the present invention provide a battery heating circuit.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The objective of certain embodiments of the present invention is toprovide a battery heating circuit, in order to solve the problem ofdecreased capacity of the battery caused by increased resistance andpolarization of the battery under low temperature conditions.

The battery heating circuit provided by certain embodiments of thepresent invention comprises a switch unit, a switching control module, aone-way semiconductor component, a damping component and a transformer,wherein the switching control module is electrically connected with theswitch unit; the battery, the damping component, the first winding ofthe transformer, and the switch unit are connected in series with eachother to constitute a battery discharging circuit; the battery, thedamping component, the second winding of the transformer, and theone-way semiconductor component are connected in series with each otherto constitute a battery charging circuit.

According to one embodiment, when the battery is to be heated up, theswitch unit can be controlled by the switching control module to switchon, and then can be controlled to switch off when the current in thebattery discharging circuit reaches a preset value; after that, thetransformer transfers the stored energy back to the battery. Forexample, in that process, the damping component generates heat as thecurrent flows through it, and thereby heats up the battery. In anotherexample, the transformer takes a current limiting role; in addition, thepreset value can be set according to the properties of the battery;therefore, the magnitude of current in the battery charging/dischargingcircuit is controllable, and damages to the battery caused byover-current can be avoided. In addition, since the magnitude of currentis controllable, the switch unit is protected against being burned dueto generation of vast heat according to another embodiment.

Moreover, the transformer in certain embodiments of the presentinvention serves as an energy storage component, and has currentlimiting function. For example, the transformer can transfer the energystored in it back to the battery through the battery charging circuit,and thereby can reduce the energy loss in the heating process.

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will befurther described in detail in the following section for embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, as a part of this description, are providedhere to facilitate further understanding of the present invention, andare used in conjunction with the following embodiments to explain thepresent invention, but shall not be comprehended as constituting anylimitation on the present invention. In the figures:

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of the heating circuit according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a timing diagram of waveforms of the heating circuit accordingto one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of the heating circuit according to anotherembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of the heating circuit according to yetanother embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram of the heating circuit according to yetanother embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram of the switch unit as part of the heatingcircuit according to certain embodiments of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram of the switch unit as part of the heatingcircuit according to some embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the present invention are described in detailbelow, with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should beappreciated that the embodiments described here are only provided todescribe and explain the present invention, but shall not be deemed asconstituting any limitation on the present invention.

It is noted that, unless otherwise specified, when mentioned hereafterin this description, the term “switching control module” may refer toany controller that can output control commands (e.g., pulse waveforms)under preset conditions or at preset times and thereby control theswitch unit connected to it to switch on or switch off accordingly,according to some embodiments. For example, the switching control modulecan be a PLC. Unless otherwise specified, when mentioned hereafter inthis description, the term “switch” may refer to a switch that enablesON/OFF control by using electrical signals or enables ON/OFF control onthe basis of the characteristics of the component according to certainembodiments. For example, the switch can be either a one-way switch(e.g., a switch composed of a two-way switch and a diode connected inseries, which can be conductive in one direction) or a two-way switch(e.g., a Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET) oran IGBT with an anti-parallel freewheeling diode). Unless otherwisespecified, when mentioned hereafter in this description, the term“two-way switch” may refer to a switch that can be conductive in twodirections, which can enable ON/OFF control by using electrical signalsor enable ON/OFF control on the basis of the characteristics of thecomponent according to some embodiments. For example, the two-way switchcan be a MOSFET or an IGBT with an anti-parallel freewheeling diode.Unless otherwise specified, when mentioned hereafter in thisdescription, the term “one-way semiconductor component” may refer to asemiconductor component that can be conductive in one direction, such asa diode, according to certain embodiments. Unless otherwise specified,when mentioned hereafter in this description, the term “charge storagecomponent” may refer to any device that can enable charge storage, suchas a capacitor, according to some embodiments. Unless otherwisespecified, when mentioned hereafter in this description, the term“current storage component” may refer to any device that can storecurrent, such as an inductor, according to certain embodiments. Unlessotherwise specified, when mentioned hereafter in this description, theterm “forward direction” may refer to the direction in which the energyflows from the battery to the energy storage circuit, and the term“reverse direction” may refer to the direction in which the energy flowsfrom the energy storage circuit to the battery, according to someembodiments. Unless otherwise specified, when mentioned hereafter inthis description, the term “battery” may comprise primary battery (e.g.,dry battery or alkaline battery, etc.) and secondary battery (e.g.,lithium-ion battery, nickel-cadmium battery, nickel-hydrogen battery, orlead-acid battery, etc.), according to certain embodiments. Unlessotherwise specified, when mentioned hereafter in this description, theterm “damping component” may refer to any device that inhibits currentflow and thereby enables energy consumption, such as a resistor, etc.,according to some embodiments. Unless otherwise specified, whenmentioned hereafter in this description, the term “main loop” may referto a loop composed of battery, damping component, switch unit and energystorage circuit connected in series according to certain embodiments.

It should be noted specially that, considering different types ofbatteries have different characteristics, in some embodiments of thepresent invention, “battery” may refer to an ideal battery that does nothave internal parasitic resistance and parasitic inductance or has verylow internal parasitic resistance and parasitic inductance, or may referto a battery pack that has internal parasitic resistance and parasiticinductance; therefore, those skilled in the art should appreciate thatif the battery is an ideal battery that does not have internal parasiticresistance and parasitic inductance or has very low internal parasiticresistance and parasitic inductance, the damping component R1 may referto a damping component external to the battery and the current storagecomponent L1 may refer to a current storage component external to thebattery; if the battery is a battery pack that has internal parasiticresistance and parasitic inductance, the damping component RI may referto a damping component external to the battery or refer to the parasiticresistance in the battery pack, and the current storage component L1 mayrefer to a current storage component external to the battery or refer tothe parasitic inductance in the battery pack, according to certainembodiments.

To ensure the normal service life of the battery, according to someembodiments, the battery can be heated under low temperature condition,which is to say, when the heating condition is met, the heating circuitis controlled to start heating for the battery; when the heating stopcondition is met, the heating circuit is controlled to stop heating,according to certain embodiments.

In the actual application of battery, the battery heating condition andheating stop condition can be set according to the actual ambientconditions, to ensure normal charge/discharge performance of thebattery, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of the heating circuit provided in oneembodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, one embodimentof the present invention provides a battery heating circuit, comprisinga switch unit 10, a switching control module 100, a one-waysemiconductor component D10, a damping component R and a transformer T,wherein: the switching control module 100 is electrically connected withthe switch unit 10; the battery E, damping component R, first winding ofthe transformer T, and switch unit 10 are connected in series with eachother to constitute a battery discharging circuit; and the battery E,damping component R, second winding of the transformer T, and one-waysemiconductor component D10 are connected in series with each other toconstitute a battery charging circuit.

Wherein: the switching control module 100 can control the switch unit 10to switch off when the current flowing through the battery E reaches apreset value in the positive half cycle, and can control the switch unit10 to switch on when the current flowing through the battery E reacheszero in the negative half cycle. By keeping the current flowing throughthe damping component R continuously, the damping component R generatesheat, and thereby heats up the battery E.

FIG. 2 is a timing sequence diagram of waveforms of the heating circuitprovided in one embodiment of the present invention. Hereunder theworking process of the heating circuit provided in one embodiment of thepresent invention will be described, with reference to FIG. 2. First,the switching control module 100 controls the switch unit 10 to switchon; now, the positive electrode of the battery E is connected with thenegative electrode of the battery E and forms a closed circuit; thus,the current I_(main) in the battery E rises up slowly due to theexistence of the inductance in transformer T (see the time period t1),and some energy is stored in the transformer T. When the currentI_(main) in the battery E reaches a preset value, the switching controlmodule 100 controls the switch unit 10 to switch off; now, thetransformer T transfers the energy stored in it back to the batterythrough the one-way semiconductor component D10, as indicated by thetime period t2. After that, when the current in the battery E is zero,the switching control module 100 controls the switch unit 10 to switchon again, and thus another cycle starts. The cycles continue on and on,till the battery E is heated up satisfactorily.

In the working process of the heating circuit described above, owing tothe existence of the inductance in the transformer T, the currentI_(main) in the battery E is limited; alternatively, the magnitude ofthe current I_(main) in the battery E can be controlled by controllingthe switch-off time of the switch unit 10 with the switching controlmodule 100. Moreover, the magnitude of the charging/discharging currentof the battery E can be controlled by changing the ratio of windingbetween the first winding (i.e., primary winding) and the second winding(i.e., secondary winding) of the transformer T. The higher the ratio ofwinding between the first winding and the second winding is, the smallerthe current charged back from the second wiring to the battery E willbe.

When the switch unit 10 switches from ON state to OFF state, very highvoltage will be induced in the first winding of the transformer T; whenthe induced voltage is superposed with the voltage of the battery E onthe switch unit 10, damage to the switch unit 10 may occur. Preferably,as shown in FIG. 3, the heating circuit can further comprises a firstvoltage absorption circuit 210, which is connected in parallel betweenthe ends of the first winding of the transformer T, and the firstvoltage absorption circuit 210 is configured to consume the voltageinduced in the first winding when the switch unit 10 switches off, so asto protect the switch unit 10 from damaged by the induced voltage. Thefirst voltage absorption circuit 210 can comprise a one-waysemiconductor component D1, a charge storage component C1 and a dampingcomponent R1, wherein: the one-way semiconductor component D1 isconnected in series with the charge storage component C1, and thedamping component R1 is connected in parallel between the ends of thecharge storage component C1. Thereby, when the switch unit 10 switchesfrom ON state to OFF state, the voltage induced in the first winding ofthe transformer T will force the one-way semiconductor component D1 toswitch on, and the electric energy will be sustained via the chargestorage component C1; in addition, after that, the electric energy isconsumed by the damping component R1, and thereby the voltage induced inthe first winding of the transformer T is absorbed, to avoid damage tothe switch unit 10.

Preferably, as shown in FIG. 4, the heating circuit can further comprisea second voltage absorption circuit 220 connected in parallel betweenthe ends of the switch unit 10, which is also configured to consume thevoltage induced in the first winding of the transformer T, so as toavoid damage to the switch unit 10. The second voltage absorptioncircuit 220 comprises a one-way semiconductor component D2, a chargestorage component C2 and a damping component R2, wherein: the one-waysemiconductor component D2 is connected in series with the chargestorage component C2, the damping component R2 is connected in parallelbetween the ends of the one-way semiconductor component D2. Thereby,when the switch unit 10 switches from ON state to OFF state, the voltageinduced in the first winding of the transformer T will force the one-waysemiconductor component D2 to switch on, and the electric energy will besustained via the charge storage component C2; in addition, after that,the electric energy is consumed by the damping component R2 when theswitch unit 10 switches on, and thereby the voltage induced in the firstwinding of the transformer T is absorbed, to avoid damage to the switchunit 10.

The first voltage absorption circuit 210 and second voltage absorptioncircuit 210 can be contained in the heating circuit provided in oneembodiment of the present invention at the same time, as shown in FIG.5; in that case, better voltage absorption effect can be achieved, andthe switch unit 10 can be protected better. Of course, the structure ofthe first voltage absorption circuit 210 and second voltage absorptioncircuit 210 is not limited to the circuit structure described above,which is to say, any applicable absorption circuit can be used here.

In addition, it should be noted: the “preset value” mentioned aboveshall be set according to the current endurable by the battery E andother components in the heating circuit, with comprehensiveconsideration of heating efficiency and protection of battery E againstdamages, as well as the size, weight and cost of the heating circuitaccording to certain embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram of one embodiment of the switch unit in theheating circuit provided in certain embodiments of the presentinvention. As shown in FIG. 6, the switch unit 10 can comprise a switchK11 and a one-way semiconductor component D11 connected in parallel withthe switch K11 in reverse direction, wherein: the switching controlmodule 100 is electrically connected with the switch K11, and isconfigured to control ON/OFF of the branches of the switch unit 10 inforward direction by controlling ON/OFF of the switch K11.

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram of another embodiment of the switch unit inthe heating circuit provided in some embodiments of the presentinvention. As shown in FIG. 7, the switch unit 10 can comprise a switchK12 and a one-way semiconductor component D12 connected in series witheach other, wherein: the switching control module 100 is electricallyconnected with the switch K12, and is configured to control ON/OFF ofthe switch unit 10 by controlling ON/OFF of the switch K12.

The heating circuit provided in certain embodiments of the presentinvention has the following advantages:

(1) With the current limiting function of the transformer T, themagnitude of current in the battery charging/discharging circuit can belimited, and thereby the battery and switch unit can be protectedagainst damage by heavy current;

(2) The magnitude of current in the battery charging/discharging circuitcan also be controlled by controlling the switch-off time of the switchunit 10, so as to protect the battery and switch unit against damage byheavy current; and/or

(3) The transformer T is an energy storage component, which can storethe energy in the battery discharging process, and then charge back theenergy to the battery, so as to reduce the energy loss in the batteryheating process.

Certain embodiments of the present invention provide a battery heatingcircuit, comprising a switch unit 10, a switching control module 100, aone-way semiconductor component D10, a damping component R, and atransformer T, wherein: the switching control module 100 is electricallyconnected with the switch unit 10; the battery, the damping component R,the first winding of the transformer T, and the switch unit 10 areconnected in series with each other to constitute a battery dischargingcircuit; the battery, the damping component R, the second winding of thetransformer T, and the one-way semiconductor component D10 are connectedin series with each other to constitute a battery charging circuit. Thetransformer in certain embodiments of the present invention serves as anenergy storage component, and has a current limiting function. Someembodiments of the present invention not only can limit the magnitude ofthe current in the battery charging/discharging circuit, thereby thebattery and the switch unit can be protected against damage by a heavycurrent, but also can reduce the energy loss in the heating process.

For example, some or all components of various embodiments of thepresent invention each are, individually and/or in combination with atleast another component, implemented using one or more softwarecomponents, one or more hardware components, and/or one or morecombinations of software and hardware components. In another example,some or all components of various embodiments of the present inventioneach are, individually and/or in combination with at least anothercomponent, implemented in one or more circuits, such as one or moreanalog circuits and/or one or more digital circuits.

While some embodiments of the present invention are described above withreference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is notlimited to the details of those embodiments. Those skilled in the artcan make modifications and variations, without departing from the spiritof the present invention. However, all these modifications andvariations shall be deemed as falling into the scope of the presentinvention.

In addition, it should be noted that the specific technical featuresdescribed in the above embodiments can be combined in any appropriateway, provided that there is no conflict. To avoid unnecessaryrepetition, certain possible combinations are not describedspecifically. Moreover, the different embodiments of the presentinvention can be combined as needed, as long as the combinations do notdeviate from the spirit of the present invention. However, suchcombinations shall also be deemed as falling into the scope of thepresent invention.

Hence, although specific embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed, it will be understood by those of skill in the art that thereare other embodiments that are equivalent to the described embodiments.Accordingly, it is to be understood that the invention is not to belimited by the specific illustrated embodiments, but only by the scopeof the appended claims.

1. A circuit for heating a battery, the circuit comprising: the batteryincluding a first damping component parasitic to the battery; a switchunit; a switching control component coupled to the switch unit; a firstone-way semiconductor component; and a transformer including a firstwinding and a second winding; wherein the circuit for heating thebattery is configured to heat the battery by at least discharging thebattery with a discharging current flowing through at least the firstdamping component, the first winding of the transformer, and the switchunit; wherein the circuit for heating the battery is further configuredto heat the battery by at least charging the battery with a chargingcurrent flowing through at least the second winding of the transformer,the first one-way semiconductor component, and the first dampingcomponent.
 2. The circuit of claim 1 wherein the first damping componentis a parasitic resistor of the battery.
 3. The circuit of claim 1, andfurther comprising a voltage reduction circuit connected in parallelwith the first winding of the transformer and configured to reduce avoltage induced in the first winding if the switch unit is turned off.4. The circuit of claim 3 wherein: the voltage reduction circuitincludes a second one-way semiconductor component, a charge storagecomponent and a second damping component; and the second one-waysemiconductor component is connected in series with a combination of thecharge storage component and the second damping component connected inparallel with each other.
 5. The circuit of claim 4 wherein: the chargestorage component is a capacitor; and the second damping component is aresistor.
 6. The circuit of claim 1, and further comprising a voltagereduction circuit connected in parallel with the switch unit andconfigured to reduce a voltage induced in the first winding if theswitch unit is turned off.
 7. The circuit of claim 6 wherein: thevoltage reduction circuit includes a second one-way semiconductorcomponent, a charge storage component and a second damping component;and the charge storage component is connected in series with acombination of the second one-way semiconductor component and the seconddamping component connected in parallel with each other.
 8. The circuitof claim 7 wherein: the charge storage component is a capacitor; and thesecond damping component is a resistor.
 9. The circuit of claim 1wherein: the switch unit includes: a switch; and a second one-waysemiconductor component connected in parallel with the switch andconfigured to allow a first current flowing in a first direction;wherein the switching control component is coupled to the switch andconfigured to allow a second current flowing in a second direction byturning on the switch, the second direction being opposite to the firstdirection.
 10. The circuit of claim 1 wherein: the switch unit includes:a switch; and a second one-way semiconductor component connected inseries with the switch; wherein the switching control component iscoupled to the switch and configured to turn on or off the switch unitby turning on or off the switch respectively.
 11. The circuit of claim 1wherein the switching control component is configured to: turn off theswitch unit if the discharging current rises a predetermined thresholdin magnitude; and turn on the switch unit if the charging current dropsto zero in magnitude.
 12. The circuit of claim 1 wherein: the firstwinding is a primary winding; and the second winding is a secondarywinding.
 13. The circuit of claim 1 is further configured to: startheating the battery if at least one heating start condition issatisfied; and stop heating the battery if at least one heating stopcondition is satisfied.